# Stoke-upon-Trent (UK Parliament constituency)

Stoke-upon-Trent was a parliamentary borough in Staffordshire, which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1832 until 1885, and then one member from 1885 until 1918, when the borough was enlarged, renamed Stoke-on-Trent, and split into three single-member constituencies.

## History

Stoke-upon-Trent was established as a borough by the Great Reform Act 1832 to represent the Staffordshire Potteries, one of the most populous urban areas in England which had previously had no separate representation. The provisional contents, confirmed by the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832, formed a contiguous area comprising the townships of Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Shelton, Penkhull with Boothen (containing the town of Stoke-upon-Trent), Lane End, Longton, Fenton Vivian, and Fenton Culvert; hamlet of Sneyd; and vill of Rushton. At the time of the Reform Act 1832 the area had a population just over 50,000 (of whom 37,220 were in Stoke parish). In 1867 the boundaries were extended somewhat, to bring in a part of Burslem which had previously been excluded.
In further boundary changes implemented at the 1885 general election, the borough was split into two single-member constituencies, the northern part becoming a separate Hanley borough while the southern part (containing Longton and Fenton as well as Stoke itself) retained the Stoke-upon-Trent name; the new constituency had a population just under 100,000 by the time of the First World War. The industrial interests predominated, with the bulk of the voters being pottery workers or miners, although Stoke was a partly middle-class town; at first an apparently safe Liberal seat, it fell narrowly to the Unionists in both 1895 and 1900, perhaps partly because of discord between miners and potters within the local Liberal party. From 1906 it was held by John Ward as a Lib-Lab MP hostile to the Labour Party, who being from the Navvies' Union could defuse the mutual jealousies of the potters and miners.
By 1918, the pottery towns had been united for municipal purposes in a single Stoke-on-Trent county borough, and the parliamentary boundary changes which came into effect at that year's general election established a parliamentary borough of the same name to replace Stoke-upon-Trent and Hanley, divided into three constituencies: Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke; Stoke-on-Trent, Hanley; and Stoke-on-Trent, Burslem.

## Members of Parliament
### 1832–1885

| Year | | First member | First party | | Second member | Second party |
| 1832 | | Josiah Wedgwood II | Whig | | John Davenport | Tory |
| 1834 | | Josiah Wedgwood II | Whig | | John Davenport | Conservative |
| 1835 | | Richard Edensor Heathcote | Whig | | John Davenport | Conservative |
| 1836 | | Hon. George Anson | Whig | | John Davenport | Conservative |
| 1837 | | William Taylor Copeland | Conservative | | John Davenport | Conservative |
| 1841 | | William Taylor Copeland | Conservative | | John Lewis Ricardo | Whig |
| 1852 | | Hon. Frederick Leveson-Gower | Whig | | John Lewis Ricardo | Whig |
| 1857 | | William Taylor Copeland | Conservative | | John Lewis Ricardo | Whig |
| 1859 | | William Taylor Copeland | Conservative | | John Lewis Ricardo | Liberal |
| 1862 | | William Taylor Copeland | Conservative | | Henry Grenfell | Liberal |
| 1865 | | Alexander Beresford Hope | Conservative | | Henry Grenfell | Liberal |
| February 1868 | | George Melly | Liberal | | Henry Grenfell | Liberal |
| November 1868 | | George Melly | Liberal | | William Sargeant Roden | Liberal |
| 1874 | | George Melly | Liberal | | Robert Heath | Conservative |
| 1875 | | Edward Kenealy | Independent | | Robert Heath | Conservative |
| 1880 | | William Woodall | Liberal | | Henry Broadhurst | Liberal-Labour |
| 1885 | constituency divided into single-member constituencies, see also Hanley | constituency divided into single-member constituencies, see also Hanley | constituency divided into single-member constituencies, see also Hanley | constituency divided into single-member constituencies, see also Hanley | constituency divided into single-member constituencies, see also Hanley | constituency divided into single-member constituencies, see also Hanley |

### 1885–1918

| Year | | Member | Whip |
| 1885 | | William Leatham Bright | Liberal |
| 1890 | | George Leveson-Gower | Liberal |
| 1895 | | Douglas Coghill | Liberal Unionist |
| 1900 | | Douglas Coghill | Conservative |
| 1906 | | John Ward | Liberal |
| 1918 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: Stoke-upon-Trent (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Josiah Wedgwood | 822 | 36.0 |
| | Tory | John Davenport | 625 | 27.4 |
| | Whig | Richard Edensor Heathcote | 588 | 25.8 |
| | Radical | George Miles Mason | 247 | 10.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,245 | 92.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,349 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 197 | 8.6 |
| | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 37 | 1.6 |
| | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) |
General election 1835: Stoke-upon-Trent (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Davenport | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig | Richard Edensor Heathcote | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,266 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
Heathcote resigned, causing a by-election.
By-election, 15 February 1836: Stoke-upon-Trent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | George Anson | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1837: Stoke-upon-Trent (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | William Taylor Copeland | 683 | 29.8 |
| | Conservative | John Davenport | 670 | 29.2 |
| | Radical | Matthew Bridges | 472 | 20.6 |
| | Whig | Francis Brinsley Sheridan | 469 | 20.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 198 | 8.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,161 | 78.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,475 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Stoke-upon-Trent (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | John Lewis Ricardo | 870 | 44.3 | +23.9 |
| | Conservative | William Taylor Copeland | 606 | 30.9 | +1.1 |
| | Conservative | Frederick Dudley Ryder | 486 | 24.8 | −4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 384 | 19.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 981 (est) | 58.3 (est) | c. −20.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,682 | | |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +13.6 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −5.4 | |
General election 1847: Stoke-upon-Trent (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | John Lewis Ricardo | 954 | 44.2 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative | William Taylor Copeland | 819 | 38.0 | +7.1 |
| | Whig | Thomas Piers Healey | 384 | 17.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,079 (est) | 63.6 (est) | +5.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,695 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 135 | 6.2 | −7.2 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −3.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 435 | 20.2 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.6 | |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Stoke-upon-Trent (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | John Lewis Ricardo | 921 | 36.3 | −7.9 |
| | Whig | Frederick Leveson-Gower | 848 | 33.4 | +15.6 |
| | Conservative | William Taylor Copeland | 769 | 30.3 | −7.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 79 | 3.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,654 (est) | 93.0 (est) | +29.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,189 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −2.0 | |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +9.7 | |
General election 1857: Stoke-upon-Trent (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Taylor Copeland | 1,261 | 44.3 | +14.0 |
| | Whig | John Lewis Ricardo | 822 | 28.9 | −7.4 |
| | Whig | Frederick Leveson-Gower | 764 | 26.8 | −6.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 497 | 17.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,054 (est) | 97.1 (est) | +4.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,115 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +14.0 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −7.2 | |
General election 1859: Stoke-upon-Trent (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Lewis Ricardo | 1,258 | 43.4 | +14.5 |
| | Conservative | William Taylor Copeland | 1,074 | 37.0 | −7.3 |
| | Liberal | Samuel Pope | 569 | 19.6 | −7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,988 (est) | 89.5 (est) | −7.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,221 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 184 | 6.4 | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +9.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 505 | 17.4 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −7.3 | |

### Elections in the 1860s

Ricardo's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 23 September 1862: Stoke-upon-Trent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Grenfell | 1,089 | 53.4 | +10.0 |
| | Conservative | Alexander Beresford Hope | 918 | 45.0 | +8.0 |
| | Liberal | George Melly | 32 | 1.6 | −18.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 171 | 8.4 | +2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,039 | 82.9 | −6.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,461 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +3.0 | |
General election 1865: Stoke-upon-Trent (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander Beresford Hope | 1,463 | 35.6 | −1.4 |
| | Liberal | Henry Grenfell | 1,373 | 33.4 | −10.0 |
| | Liberal | George Melly | 1,277 | 31.0 | +11.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 90 | 2.2 | −15.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,788 (est) | 87.4 (est) | −2.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,189 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.4 | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −4.3 | |
Beresford Hope resigned in order to contest a by-election at Cambridge University, causing a by-election.
By-election, 20 February 1868: Stoke-upon-Trent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Melly | 1,489 | 51.2 | −13.2 |
| | Conservative | Colin Minton Campbell | 1,420 | 48.8 | +13.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 69 | 2.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,909 | 91.2 | +3.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,189 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | −13.2 | |
General election 1868: Stoke-upon-Trent (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Melly | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal | William Sargeant Roden | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,199 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Stoke-upon-Trent (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Melly | 6,700 | 28.6 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Robert Heath | 6,180 | 26.4 | New |
| | Liberal | William Sargeant Roden | 5,369 | 22.9 | N/A |
| | Lib-Lab | Alfred Walton | 5,198 | 22.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,413 (est) | 91.0 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 19,129 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 520 | 2.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 811 | 3.5 | N/A |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
Melly resigned, causing a by-election.
By-election, 18 Feb 1875: Stoke-upon-Trent (1 seat) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Edward Kenealy | 6,110 | 43.1 | New |
| | Lib-Lab | Alfred Walton | 4,168 | 29.4 | +7.2 |
| | Conservative | Harry Davenport | 3,901 | 27.5 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,942 | 13.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,179 | 72.5 | −18.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 19,548 | | |
| | Independent gain from Liberal | Independent gain from Liberal | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Stoke-upon-Trent (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Woodall | 12,130 | 40.8 | −10.7 |
| | Lib-Lab | Henry Broadhurst | 11,379 | 38.3 | +16.1 |
| | Conservative | Robert Heath | 5,126 | 17.2 | −9.2 |
| | Independent | Edward Kenealy | 1,091 | 3.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,253 | 21.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,863 (est) | 74.4 (est) | −16.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 19,976 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −7.2 | |
| | Lib-Lab gain from Conservative | Lib-Lab gain from Conservative | Swing | +12.7 | |
General election 1885: Stoke-upon-Trent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Leatham Bright | 4,790 | 63.1 | −16.0 |
| | Conservative | Haden Corser | 2,800 | 36.9 | +19.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,990 | 26.2 | +5.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,590 | 82.4 | +8.0 (est) |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,213 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −17.9 | |
General election 1886: Stoke-upon-Trent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Leatham Bright | 3,255 | 60.9 | −2.2 |
| | Conservative | Haden Corser | 2,093 | 39.1 | +2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,162 | 21.8 | −4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,348 | 58.0 | −24.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,213 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -2.2 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

By-election 14 Mar 1890: Stoke-upon-Trent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Leveson-Gower | 4,157 | 58.7 | −2.2 |
| | Liberal Unionist | William Shepherd Allen | 2,926 | 41.3 | +2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,231 | 17.4 | −4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,083 | 73.4 | +15.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,649 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −2.2 | |
* Caused by Bright's resignation.
General election 1892: Stoke-upon-Trent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Leveson-Gower | 4,629 | 61.9 | +1.0 |
| | Conservative | S Waters | 2,846 | 38.1 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,783 | 23.8 | +2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,475 | 72.0 | +14.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,380 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.0 | |
Leveson-Gower was appointed Comptroller of the Household, requiring a by-election.
By-election 25 Aug 1892: Stoke-upon-Trent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Leveson-Gower | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1895: Stoke-upon-Trent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Douglas Coghill | 4,396 | 51.2 | +13.1 |
| | Liberal | George Leveson-Gower | 4,196 | 48.8 | −13.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 200 | 2.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,592 | 77.4 | +5.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,107 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +13.1 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Stoke-upon-Trent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Douglas Coghill | 4,932 | 51.0 | −0.2 |
| | Liberal | Godfrey Baring | 4,732 | 49.0 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 200 | 2.0 | −0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,664 | 73.9 | −3.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,074 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.2 | |
General election 1906: Stoke-upon-Trent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | John Ward | 7,660 | 64.1 | +15.1 |
| | Conservative | Douglas Coghill | 4,288 | 35.9 | −15.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,372 | 28.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,948 | 84.8 | +10.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,091 | | |
| | Lib-Lab gain from Conservative | Lib-Lab gain from Conservative | Swing | +15.1 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Stoke-upon-Trent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | John Ward | 7,688 | 57.4 | −6.7 |
| | Conservative | David Hope Kid | 5,697 | 42.6 | +6.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,991 | 14.8 | −13.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,385 | 88.8 | +4.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,079 | | |
| | Lib-Lab hold | Lib-Lab hold | Swing | −6.7 | |
General election December 1910: Stoke-upon-Trent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | John Ward | 7,049 | 58.2 | +0.8 |
| | Conservative | Samuel Joyce Thomas | 5,062 | 41.8 | −0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,987 | 16.4 | +1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,111 | 80.3 | −8.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,079 | | |
| | Lib-Lab hold | Lib-Lab hold | Swing | +0.8 | |
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal-Labour: John Ward
* Unionist: Samuel Joyce Thomas